After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Nia entered the tent and, after stepping over the luxurious carpet made in Germany by Isuga and passing by the fine tables and chairs made in Germany by Isuga, she took her seat in the main seat.

She glanced at a message on the table. This message, transmitted over a long distance via the magical mirror, contained only one sentence from the President:

"To befriend them at all costs... huh? Oh dear..."

Nia sighed heavily: I understand the importance of befriending them at all costs! But how exactly to do it is another good question.

Isugard knew nothing of the Regent's preferences. They didn't even know what Yang Hao liked to eat, let alone offer him gifts that suited his tastes.

It can be said that Nia is the person who understands Yang Hao the most—which is why all the pressure is now focused on Nia.

The pressure was so great that the black dragon could hardly breathe, and it also forced the black dragon to think of all possible plans and solutions.

As everyone knows, the Regent had experienced the tragedy of being exiled. Now, he must be disgusted by any coercion or force—which makes Nia very grateful that the President hadn't agreed to her directly kidnapping him. Because if the Regent didn't cooperate, even if she kidnapped and seduced him, it would be useless.

Because Ysgard needs him to provide development plans for the entire country, if he harbors resentment, he could even deliberately guide Ysgard towards the bright future on the surface, while secretly plunging it into a quagmire or even causing it to fall into the abyss and be destroyed.

Therefore, even if one hopes to bring him to Ysgard, it is necessary to use methods other than coercion and intimidation—that is, the so-called inducement. But how exactly should this be done?

Black Dragon Nia was upset, but then she suddenly remembered something...

Has the Regent ever publicized his great achievements?

...........

Meanwhile, under the protection of the elven guards, Yang Hao arrived at the meeting place riding a steed.

Considering that this important meeting with Isgard shouldn't reveal too much of their hand, Yang Hao didn't have his regular guards accompany him with Japa 1404 rifles. However, he still sent the old elf, the archery master—now more accurately, the rifle master—with two gunmen to prepare in the forest.

If the people of Isgard really intended to kidnap him, then the gunmen in the forest could easily annihilate any opponents other than the black dragon and find a way to rescue him... But as expected, given that the other side had a dragon, Yang Hao still hoped to avoid conflict as much as possible.

(After all, a black dragon is a powerful creature... It's said that a single dragon can destroy a small country. I wonder how many dragons there are in Ysgard.)

The most worrying question is: just how much power does the mysterious Isgard actually possess?

With these thoughts in mind, Yang Hao landed on a swift eagle amidst the warm welcome of the people of Isugard.

They chose a good location. It was close to the forest but far from the coast, making it impossible for even a black dragon to quickly transport people directly from here to their ship.

The people of Isugard showed the respect they deserved. This pleased Yang Hao, but also made him wary.

After all, it's not the reckless, pig-like opponents that are to be feared, but the cunning, treacherous, and treacherous enemies.

When Yang Hao first saw Nia, he knew she was a formidable enemy.

The shrewd humanoid black dragon possesses a vast amount of industrial knowledge—by the standards of people in this world, she can be considered a genius ahead of her time.

More importantly, black dragons have very long lifespans.

As one of the four common long-lived races, dragons, vampires, elves, and the legendary sirens are all long-lived beings who can easily live for thousands of years.

A lifespan spanning thousands of years, combined with foresight and advanced knowledge... this is one of the strongest enemies Yang Hao currently perceives.

Let's get straight to the point.

After entering the meeting tent, Yang Hao nodded slightly in greeting, and then, under the protection of the elves, sat down opposite the long-horned, long-tailed woman in a black dress.

He gazed at the woman's long black hair, and after looking at her dark red eyes a few more times, he reached out and gently tapped the table.

“Hehe. It’s been a long time since that…” Black Dragon Nia said politely, gesturing for the servants to place the prepared materials on the table. “We talked all night in a private room until you had to leave first due to requests from home—I must admit, Mr. Yang Hao, you have been a great help to us.”

"...oh?"

"If you hadn't jokingly mentioned whether our metal warships had large-caliber main guns with unchanging reload capacity, we might not have broken free from the mindset of small-caliber muzzle-loading guns. You made us realize the ineffectiveness of small-caliber guns against armor in future naval battles... and at that time, we were still simply using the mindset of sailing warships to think about how to defeat the enemy fleet."

Black Dragon laid out the development of Isuga Germany in a very casual manner.

"Similarly, if you hadn't mentioned [air power at sea] and [whether there is already an idea to develop unarmed warships], perhaps our country wouldn't have thought of building an [Eagle Mother] that completely removes all firepower and armor, and even has as few buildings as possible on the deck, to keep the Griffin Riders and Griffins on board, so that they can go out to sea to scout every day when the weather is clear, thereby expanding our scout radius, and at the same time, they can use oil cans to deal fatal damage to wooden warships."

You need to know how much effort I expended to persuade the scientists and naval commanders back home. But after the results were revealed, even the most stubborn sailing ship captains had to admit that, under the attack of the [Eagle Mother], wooden ships had completely lost their ability to operate at sea. At least against the Ysugard navy, they had no chance of escaping the attack range alive. No.”

"Oh..."

It's not just about putting it out in the open.

She also emphasized Yang Hao's "achievements".

Now things have changed—as Yang Hao reflected on how much information he had revealed, the way the elves and Isgard soldiers looked at him changed.

If at first they were just a wolf eyeing a delicious piece of meat.

So now, they are like a pack of starving wolves eyeing a bowl of meat.

The elves were already thinking about how to get the great Finn to do everything in his power to keep Yang Hao in Gaparia. After the black dragon's provocation, the advance team members of Isgard were even more worried.

After all, the Isgard vanguard were mostly beneficiaries of modern industrial reforms. They yearned for industrial progress, much like men yearn for young and beautiful women.

Faced with Heilong's flattery, Yang Hao simply shook his head:

"So, what's the main topic?"

Yang Hao is completely unmoved by flattery and has long since stopped caring about such empty titles.

He had seen through it all—when they no longer need him, even the most loyal subordinates will choose to remain silent. And when they do need him, even those who once hated him the most will not hesitate to hurl insults at him.

What's so good about all this vanity?

Instead of these empty titles, it would be more practical to discuss with Teresa tonight when to plan the wedding, whether to have spicy or sweet meals for the three daily meals, and which days I should cook and which days she should cook.

At least these things truly make me happy.

He was lost in thought, while Black Dragon's face stiffened for a moment in the face of his plan's failure.

However, she quickly regained her composure. After opening the documents on the table, she handed one of them to Yang Hao:

"...Well then, let's get down to business. Your Majesty Yang Hao, we in Isgard are willing to establish a commercial alliance and treaty with the Elven Kingdom of Gaparia, provided that you remain in Gaparia. Furthermore, we are also eager to engage in deeper [technical exchange] cooperation with you... What do you think?"

It must be said that the Isgardians are indeed formidable opponents.

Seeing that flattery wasn't working, did they choose to sow discord?

Yang Hao could see that when Nia emphasized the sentence, "provided you stay in the Elf Kingdom of Gaparia," a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in the eyes of the elf beside him.

Although it's unclear whether the elves are dissatisfied with themselves or the black dragon, for the time being, the other side's divisive strategy has already achieved some results—but, technical exchange and cooperation...?

What kind of scheme is this? If you assume I'll be a free agent in the future, then this so-called technical exchange is basically you taking things from me without giving me the chance to take things from you!

So you really intend for me to work for you?

Yang Hao pondered to himself, if it were when he and Teresa were running around everywhere, it would be one thing, since he had already received so many favors from the elves, he couldn't be ungrateful, could he?

As a person, it's not that we're afraid of being heartless or insane, but what we fear most is being ungrateful.

Yang Hao is not an ungrateful person. Therefore—

"If that's the case, please rest assured, Isgard—I am the Regent of the Elves, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, my wife and I will reside in the Elven capital. Ms. Nia, you might as well just make Japariad my nationality."

Yang Hao's casual remark not only made the eyelids of the Isgard advance team members twitch, but also refreshed the elves' side.

Heilong merely gave Yang Hao a meaningful look, then tentatively posed a question:

Should I congratulate Priscilla, the Witch of the Night?

"No, no need to congratulate her. She's doing very well in Roman; my wife is another one."

"I see..."

Nia felt a surge of extremely complex emotions.

She had actually prepared herself for the Regent to reside permanently in the Elven Kingdom—but she still clung to a sliver of hope. If the Regent's lover, the one known as the Night Witch, who posed a significant threat to the Isgard landing forces on the sand table, were to go with him, then the Roman Empire would be nothing more than a handful of sand to be manipulated at will.

But—Priscilla didn't leave with him? No... Priscilla didn't leave with him, so who is Yang Hao's wife now?

Nia recalled that there seemed to be another figure in the Roman Empire who posed a significant threat to Isgard—but considering that there weren't many priests in Isgard, and even if there were, they weren't very capable, Isgard would only consider her as someone with influence for the time being.

That was Cecilia, the Holy Maiden of the Church of Light. Even in Drake Port, a place that should be a military and commercial restricted area, one could see rumors praising the Holy Maiden. It was said that she herself lived deep in the far north of the Roman Empire, far away from the southern ports.

Even under such circumstances, people still praise her deeds, which shows how influential she is among the people.

If she leaves with Yang Hao, then the Roman Empire will have lost an arm in addition to its head, which is still acceptable—

"Then, should I congratulate Miss Cecilia?" Nia asked tentatively again.

In response, Yang Hao merely displayed a strange, mechanical expression:

"I don't know whether to praise Isgard's intelligence organization or laugh at it. If you've actually been inside the Roman Empire, you should know that she's been secluded in the underground sanctuary for several years."

"...what?"

She is neither a witch nor a saint.

So who exactly is your wife?

Nia felt a slight sweat bead on her forehead. She calmed herself by drinking water, and finally, after focusing her gaze on the elven guard beside Yang Hao, she tentatively asked again:

"Or perhaps... I should congratulate the Elf Queen?"

......

Now, not only Yang Hao, but even the elf's expression changed.

The former looked bewildered and wanted to laugh but couldn't, while the latter was extremely strange... a helplessness and sigh that words could not describe.

what happened?

She is neither the Night Witch, nor a saintess of the Church of Light, nor the queen of your Elf Kingdom.

So who exactly is your wife?

It couldn't possibly be a village girl she grew up with, could it?

Nia was quite embarrassed.

Yang Hao coughed twice, indicating that they should put the topic aside.

Then they got down to business—since Yang Hao had made it clear that he would stay in Gaparia from now on, the contract with Isgard was simply changed from being signed with Yang Hao to being signed with the Elf Kingdom.

Although Yang Hao is still the signatory, the underlying meaning is quite different. In terms of the outcome, they have now reached the point where they are negotiating every single decimal place on the contract.

Nia was genuinely annoyed—this was her first real confrontation with Yang Hao. No matter how she tried to gain covert benefits, he would bring them to the forefront.

This frustrated her greatly and made her realize that she was a researcher rather than a diplomat.

Left with no other choice, she had to firmly establish one of her essential conditions:

"Considering that I am currently the only person on the continent of Elusia who can communicate with Isgard over extremely long distances... therefore, I have no choice but to remain in the Elven Kingdom as a [Special Envoy] to facilitate communication between the two countries."

"And what about your port? Aren't you worried that something might happen there and it wouldn't be handled in a timely manner?"